Envelope-machine



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. BALL.

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'(No Modem 5 SheetsSheet 2.

E J. .BA'LL.

ENVELOPE MAGHINE.

No. 442,091. Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

THE uolml ran" 00, mom-um, vuanlnarou, m c.

( ModL) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

- I J. BALL.

ENVELOPE MAGHINE.

No. 442,091. Patented Dec, 9, 1890.

THE NORRII Pz'rus cal, mmumm, wnsmna'rou, u. c.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

J. BALL. ENVELOPE MACHINE.

No, 442,091." Patented ec. 9, 1890.

PATENT rrrcn.

JAMES HALL, OF I'IOL'YOKE, MASSAClIUSE'l"S.

ENVELOPE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,091, dated December 9, 1890.

Application filed January 21, 1890. Serial No. 387,569. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES BALL. a citizen of the United States, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Envelope-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to envelope-machines and to improvements in certain detail parts of the construction thereof, all as herevelope-machine to which are applied other features of my invention, as below set forth, the complicated construction of an envelopemachine rendering it necessary that the improvements which constitute the subjectmatter of this application be shown in separate views, each containing parts of an cn-' velope-machine to which my improvements are applied, instead of attempting to show said improvements in a single View of a complete machine, wherein it would be impossible to properly illustrate them and show their operative relations sufficiently clearto have them understood. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of apair of envelope-grippers which are used in connection with other mechanism (shown in Fig. 1) for seizing the envelope and carrying it away from the dryingchain of the machine, said Fig. 3 showing a portion of an envelope engaged by said gripper and parts of the devices (shown in Fig. 2) which operate in conjunction with said gripper, asbelow described. Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of said grippers, there being shown in said figure a representation of one end of an envelope engaged by the gripper and apart of the machinewhich has a co-operativc relation to the gripper, as below described. Fig. 5 illustrates a portion of the envelope-counting mechanism detached from the partswith which it is shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a part of the ta- .bleof the machine surrounding the bottom of he folding-box thereof, a transverse section of said folding-box bottom, and of mechanism operating in conjunction with saidbottom, as hereinafter described. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a portion of the under side of the table and of the bottom of the foldingbox and of mechanism operating with said bottom, as above described. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of parts of the operative mechanism of the machine which are shown in Fi 2, and which are fully described below. Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the frame of the machine and of improved mechanism, as below described, for operating the glimmer and picker. Fig. 10 is a detailed view of said gummer and picker operating mechanism, showing the latter in a different position to that shown in Fig. 9. i i

In the drawings, 2 indicates the table of the machine, and 3 the end portion or portions of theframe on which said table is supported.

One feature of the improvements herein described and shown has reference to improved means for positively ejecting the envelope from the folding-box, or, in other words, disengaging it from the bottom of said box after it is folded, and driving it into its proper p0- sition in the drying-chain of the machine, and 8c said mechanism is constructed and operates as follows, reference being had in the description of this feature to Figs. 1, .2, G, and 7'. The bottom 5 of the folding-box is hinged by one edge to the border of an opening in the table .85 2 in the usual manner and is given a vibratory motion from a horizontal position in the table to an inclined one, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and in dotted lines in Fig.6, byits connection with two cams 6 (only one of which 0 is shown in the drawings) on a shaft 7 of the machine by means of a lever 8, one for each can], which has an engagement with said cam, whereby it is given a vibratory motion vertically, and connecting-rods 9, connecting said 5 levers and the bottom of folding-box, springs 10, having connections with said rods 9 or with the said levers, serving to hold the latter against. the peripheries of said cams. A shaft 12 is hungin suitable bearings under Ico the table 2, and has fixed thereon ejectorhooks 13, which extend each intoa slot a through the bottom 5 of the folding-box. When said bottom 5 in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 6, the extremities of said hooks 13 are slightly below the upper side of said bottom; but when the latter has one edge thereof dropped downward, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the extremities of said hooks project above the upper side of said bottom and they are near enough to the hinged edge of the latter to occupy a position clear of one edge of an envelope which may have been folded thereon. If desired, the shaft 12 may carry a single hook 13; but two serve better. The saidshaft 12 .has thereon an arm 14, which is engaged by an arm on a connecting-rod 16, which operates the pickers and gummers, and which has an endwise-reciproeating motion, and said rod is moving downward against arm 14 at the instant that the bottom 5 of the folding-box assumes an inclined position to permit a folded envelope to be discharged therefrom, the said arm 15 at this instant striking the end of the-arm 14 and rocking shaft 12, and imparting to the ejector-hooks 13 a quick motion against the edge of said envelope drives the latter with a positive force from said bottom into the dryingchain 17 underthe folding-box, as indicated in Fig. 1, a retracting-spring 18 (see Fig. 2) rocking said shaft .12 in the opposite direction when said arm 15 rises.

Another feature of the improvements herein described and shown has reference to improved means for maintaining an envelopeblank in proper position at the instant that the pickers and gummers leave it after -having gnmmed it and lifted it from the pile of blanks, so that its central portion between the extremities of the end flaps shall not be allowed to fall below a horizontal plane and more or less out of the line of action of the carriage, which then in practice takes said blank and conveys it over the folding-box of the machine, and said mechanism is con- -structed and operated as follows, reference being had in the description of this feature to Figs. 2 and 8. 7 7

In Fig. 2, 19 indicatesa horizontal plate, which is supported in the position shown by a cross-bar 20, to which it is attached, said crossbar in practice being secured by its ends to a fixed part of the machine above the table 2. Said plate 19 is the ordinary plate,

which is fixed centrally above the pile of en velope-blanks which are to be gummed, picked up, and transported to the folding-box one by one.

21 indicates the gummers and pickers, which are properly secured, as shown, to a vertical shaft 22, which is supported in practice in vertical bearings on the machine, so that it and said pickers and gummers may have a reciprocating vertical movement, said pickers falling and rising in proximity to the opposite edges of said plate 19. An envelopeblank 0 is shown in the positionunder said plate 19 which it occupies when it has been gummed and is raised up against the under side of said plate by the pickers 21.. The

said vertical reciprocating motion of the shaft 22 and the pickers thereto connected, as aforesaid, is effected by the rocking motion of a shaft 23, hung in suitable bearings over the table, said shaft having an arm 24 thereon, which is connected with the arm of the camlever 25 by the aforesaid connecting-rod 16, said cam-lever having a vibratory motion imparted thereto by its engagement with acam 26 in conjunction with a spring 40, which holds the free end of lever 25 against said cam, and thereby the said shaft 23 is given said rocking motion when the shaft B of the ma chine is rotated.

The arrangement of said pickers and gummers and the plate 19 and the operation of said gummers have been thus particularly set forth in order that the operation of the mechanism which operates to maintain the envelope-blank in proper position under the plate 19 at the instantthat the pickers and gummers leave it may be more clearly understood, and said mechanism is constructed and operates as follows: A post 27 has its lower end loosely set in a socket in the table 21 and has a rocking motion therein. Said post 27 has two bearing-boxes28 and 29 supported thereon on lateral arms 30, extending from opposite sides of said post, and in said boxes is supported a blank-holding finger-rod 31, which has a rocking motion therein. Owing to said rocking motions of said post 27 and of said finger-rod 31, it will be clearly understood that the finger 32 on the end of said rod near the edge of said plate 19 is caused to vibrate toward and from said plate and that the extremity of said finger may move against and away from the envelopeblank 0 on the under side of said plate. To produce the said action of the finger-rod, whereby the extremity of the finger 32 thereon is at the instant that a blank is lifted against the under side of the plate 19 by the pickers and gummers 21 carried against said blank and there causedto rest an instant to sustain the central portion of the blank and hold it in a horizontal position while a blank-carriage seizes it and then swing said finger back to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 out of the way of the pickers 21, the said finger-rod is connected with the belowdescribed mechanism. A spring 33' has one end connected to a post or other fixed part of or on the table 2 and its opposite end is attached to the bearing-box 29, and said spring acts to swing the finger 32 under the said plate 19. A lever 34, hung to have a vibrator motion on the end of the frame 3 of the machine, has its lower end engaging with a cam 35 on shaft B, and its opposite end engages With the outer end of said finger'rod 31. Said lever 31 and spring 33 act conjointly to give said finger-rod its vibratory motion in ahorizontal plane. An elbow-shaped lever 35 is fixed on said finger-rod near the end of the bearing 28, having a horizontal arm 36,which extends opposite a vertical stop-post 37, fixed on the table 2. A spring 38 has one end connected to said lever 35 and its opposite end is conected to a fixed point on the frame of the machine. \Vhen the finger-rod is by lever 34 swung to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, it is so moved against the force of spring 33, and the tension of the said spring 38, connected to lever 35, causes the rod 31 to rock and swing the end of the finger 32 away from the envelope-blank. After the removal of said blank and as soon as it shall have been replaced by another one, lever 34 swings in a direction from the rod 31, letting spring 33 swing the linger 32 under said lifted blank, and at this instant the arm on lever 35 strikes the stop 0/, causing the rod 31 to rock and throw the end of the finger 32 against the envelope-blank. A fixed downhanging arm 39 on the bearing-box 28 serves to arrest the said swinging motion of thelever 35 (caused by said spring 38) and prevent any excessive rocking motion of the rod 31 when the end of finger 32 moves away from the en velope-blank.

The upper end of the connecting-rod 16,

through which rocking motion is given to the shaft 23, which actuates the gummers and pickers 21, (see Figs. 2, 9, and 10,) has ayoke said yoke-extension 42, as shown in Fig. 9.-

A spring 40 holds the roller-bearing end of cam-lever 25 against the peripheryof cam 26.

This connection of the cam-lever 25 with the arm 24 on shaft 23 tends to prevent .any shock or blow resulting from the sudden contact of the pickers 21 with the pile of blanks 45, Fig. 9, when the machine is running at high speed, for the .spring 44 receives the first force of said blow or contact and yields Said spring 44 and slotted yoke-connection on the connecting-rod 16 also serve to permit the pile of blanks to be kept of such height under the pickers as to invariably result in a proper contact of the pickers and the upper blank of the pile, thus preventing the pickers from failing to pick up a blank at every down movement thereof.

In practice the blank pile is maintained at such a height above the table as will arrest the down movement of the pickers, while the pin 43 in arm 24 is at the lower end of the slot in said yoke-extension, as shown in Fig. 9, and just before the cam-lever 25 is brought in contact with the point on the cam 26 nearest the axis'of the shaft, and by the time said point an is reached by said canrlever, the connection-rod 16 is drawn downward so far as to bring the upper end of said slot against said pin 43, thereby forming a positive connection between arm 24 and said cam-lever, and at this point in the rotation of cam 26 a positive action of the peculiarly-oonstructed cam 26 ensues, whereby the contact of the pickers with the gum mers is perfected and the gum is applied to the blank surely'and uniformly. The said cam 26 is constructed with an arm 46 on the side thereof (preferably the rear) extending in a plane with the side of the cam and having a stud or projection 47 therein or thereon opposite that partw of the cam nearest the axis of the shaft B, which carries said cam, the space between said stud and cam part a: being substantially the same as the diameter of the friction-roll 48 on the cam-lever 25. Thus when the cam-arm 46 and its stud or projection 47 are brought into the operative relations shown in Fig. 10 with the said friction-roll the cam-lever is positively drawn to the periphery of the cam at m by the engagement of said stud with the friction-roll, and consequently the pickers are forced positively against the pile 45 of blanks. By the peculiar construction of said cam 26, whereby that part of its periphery which is shown directly under and in engagement with the roll 48 in Fig. 9 is extended considerably farther from the axis of the cam than is the stud or projection 46 on arm 47 thereof, said cam provides a marked protection against accidents in the performanceof its function in operating the picker mechanism, as above described, for the said extended part of the periphery of said cam when engaged with one end of lever 25 to lift itto the position shown in said last-named figure thereby causes the pickers 21 to be lifted to their highest position, where they not infrequently meet with some obstruction to their immediate downward movement through the action of spring 40, and were it possible for said stud 46 on arm 47 of the cam to engage with the roll 48 while t-l1elever25 is so elevated the pickers would be forced downward and the machine be seriously broken and damaged; but by so making the cam that the free end of lever 25 is thereby lifted beyond thesaid engaging point of said arm said engaging point or projection 46 thereon passes under the roll 48 and leaves the picker devices in said elevated position until adjusted and permitted by the operator to again drop down, thereby again bringing the roll 48 against the cam.

It is deemed safer in practice to run the pickers 21' by a non-positive connection, as described, during almost their entire movement toward the blank-pile for the reason that should any hard substance or tool get accidentallybetween the pickers and said pile and the whole of said movement be positive serious damage would result to the machine.

Care has been taken to illustrate in Fig. 1 of the drawings the above-described improvements in the folding-box bottom, and in connection with the latter a portion of the ordinaryenvelope-drying chain 17, into which the understanding of the operation of the improved gripping devices, which seize the e11- velope by both ends while it is in the said chain, and at the instant that it is released therefrom is thereby carried bodily forward and dropped into said receptacle,- and then the grippers return to said chain and repeat the operation. A pair of said grippers 49 is provided for each machine, and they are located as shown in Fig. 1, and are constructed and operate for the above purpose, as below described. The gripper 49 is shown in side elevation in Fig. 3 and in plan view in Fig. 4, and it consists of frame part 50, of suitable metallic construction, (said figures showing the device in full size,) having a pending end, to which the upper end of a lever 51 of the machine is secured and on and by which it is supported and given a vibratory motion, as below described. On the front side of said frame (the side shown in Fig. 3) is hung by a pivot-screw 52 a jaw 53, having a rearwardly-extending part, the rear end of which is provided with a counterbalancing-weight 54, constituting a part thereof or attached thereto to cause said jaw to maintain, normally, the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and to be returned to said position after having been given a vibratory motion in a vertical plane and brought to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

An elbow-lever 55 is pivotally hung on a bracket 56 on the side of the frame 50, one arm of which extends horizontallyand enters a socket in said rearward extension of the jaw 53 or otherwise suitably engages therewith, and its second arm hangs in substantiallya vertical position at the front of the gripper, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A spring '0, attached by one end to a fixed part of the gripper, has its opposite end attached to said horizontal arm of the elbow-lever 55 .to insure the return of said lever and thejaw 53 to their normal positions, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, after the jaw shall have been swung to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, as and for the purpose below described. Said spring 4; may be omitted, if desired. A second jaw 57 is hung on a pending bolt 58 in the upper horizontally-extending part 59 of the gripper-frame and is adapted to have a vibratory motion inahorizontal plane and to have its extremity swing against and from the end of said jaw 53, as clearly shown in Fig. 4 in full and in. dotted lines,whereby the envelopefis gripped and released. The said jaw 57 has one end of alever 60 pivotally connected with its rear side at K, said lever extending freely through a perforation in an arm 6 on the frame of the gripper, in which perforation said lever is free to swing horizontally. A spiral spring 61 is applied to said lever between a shoulder 9 thereon and the inner side of said arm 6 and serves to force said lever endwise toward the jaw 57, and thereby hold said jaw in a closed and in an open position, as indicated in Fig. 4. The spring 61 is compressed when by the swinging movement of the jaw 57 the pivoted end of the lever 60 is brought to a point centrally between the dotted and full line positions shown in Fig. 4, and be comes distended when the jaw is fully open or shut, whereby the jaw is held as above described. It will thus be seen that said jaws 53 and 57 have independent vibratory motions in planes of opposite angles or in Vertical and horizontal planes. A guideplate 62, preferably of sheet metal, is secured to the upper part of the gripper-frame so that it extends rearwardly just above the said jaws 53 and 57 and presents its outer edge to the ends of the envelopes in the drying-chain 17 when the gripper swings toward them, and serves by contact with any that may be out of position to bring the ends thereof into line, so that they shall, one after the other, be caught by said jaws, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The said levers 51 of the machine, (see Fig. 1,) to which the said grippers are secured,

have their lower ends secured each to a support 63, which is pivotally attached to the side of a second support 64, which latter is fixed on a shaft 65 of the machine. Each of said supports has a bolt J passing loosely through the cylindrical part thereof and attached to said support 64, and the two levers 51, pivotally connected by a cross connecting-bar 66, and the two grippers 49 thereon have a slow vibratory movement in ncarl ya vertical plane, s win ging on said bolts J. Said vibratory movements of the levers 51 are prod uced, primarily, by the action of the intermittently-rotating ratchet wheel 67 of the envelope-counting mechanism, (see Figs. 1 and 5,) as follows: Two levers 68 and 69 are fixed by one end to a cylindrical body '70, the latter being supported to rock on a bolt which passes through it. Said lever 68 has its free end engaging with the cam-shaped edge 71 of the ratchetwheel 67, which is caused to rotate intermittently, as aforesaid, in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 5 by the well-known action of an eccentric 72 on a shaft of the machine, as in said last-named figure, or by any other suitable means whereby the connecting-rod 73 is given a reciprocating endwise motion, there by vibrating the lever 74, which, by imparting a similar motion to the pawl-carrying arm 75, causes the usual action of the pawl 76 to rotate the wheel 67, as aforesaid, audsuch movement of the said wheel and cam edges results in a step-by-step movement of said levers 68 and 69 in a direction from the adjoining face of the ratchet-wheel, and said lever 69 imparts to the levers 51 and the grippers thereon a like movement in the'same direction until the end of lever 68 drops off the end to of said cam edge, and then the levers provides for placing each twenty-five of the envelopes which are taken and con veyed by the grippers in endwise offset relations each to the other on the receivingtable, whereby the operator easily distinguishes the groups of twenty-five envelopes each and can conveniently take them for handing. The grippers l9 have also a vibratory motion given them in a direction toward and from the said drying-chain, in order that they may convey the envelopes from said chain to the usual receptacle or table therefor, said vibratory movement being effected by the action of a cam N on shaft M against the roller-bearing end of an upright 78, Fig. 1, fixed on said shaft 65, whereby thelatter,the levers 51, and the grippers are rocked in one direction, a retracting spring 79 swinging them oppositely or toward the drying-chain. Two envelope-pushers 80 and 81, respectively above and below the delivering part of the drying-chain, are caused to swing against the rear side of the seized envelope and insure its proper support against deflection by ai r-pressu re when moved quickly from the chain by the grippers, said pushers havinga swinging movementimparted thereto coinciding in speed with that of said grippers by means of two rock-shafts 82 and 83, on which said pushers are hung. Said shaft 82 has a rocking motion imparted thereto by its connection with the cam-lever 25 by a connecting-rod 90, whose lower end is pivotally attached to said lever, as shown in Fig. l, the opposite end of said rod being similarly attached to an arm on said rock-shaft. Said pushers further serve to carry the envelope farther on into said receptacle after it is released by the grippers, as below described.

The operation of the grippers in taking, moving, and dropping an envelope is as follows: At the start of the grippers from the front side of the machine or the envelope-receptacle where they may have dropped an envelope the free end of the levers and their connected jaws 57 and the jaws 53 are brought to the positions shown in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4, whereby the said jaws are opened and the envelope is disengaged therefrom by the impact of said free end of levers 60 with fixed stops Sci: and of the pending arms of the elbow-levers 55 with other fixed stops 85. Fig. 4. illustrates the gripper and envelope when moving toward said stops and before releasing the envelope. Said grippers are immediately swung away from said stops 84 and S5,removing to take another envelope from the dryingchain, and as soon as the said pending arm of the lever 55 leaves the stop 85 the weight of the rear end 54c of the jaw 53 and the spring 1 actto bring said jaw to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3,

removing all obstacle to the approach of the end of the jaw 53 against the outer side of. the envelope; butat the instant that jaw is brought quite or nearly to the side of the envelope the end of lever (50 strikes a third fixed stop 86, whereby the jaw 57 is made to close quickly against the back side of the envelope opposite the end of the jaw 53, and

this envelope is nowgripped and carried forward, as before described.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. The folding-box bottom hinged by one edge and having one or more openings through it, a shaft extending under and having an intermittent rocking motion independently of any motion of said bottom, one or more envelope-ejectors fixed on said rocking shaft, whose free ends enter the openings in said bottom, said ejector-s having a vibratory motion in said openings imparted thereto by said rocking shaft, and mechanism, substantially as described, for imparting a vibratory motion to said bottom and a rocking motion to said shaft, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

2. In an envelope-machine, mechanism to momentarily sustain an envelope-blank after it is gummed and picked up and before it is seized by the carriage, consisting of a fingen rod, substantially as described, supported near the pickers, having horizontal vibratory movements and a rocking motion, whereby its finger is carried against said blank and instantly away from it, a fixed horizontal plate above said finger, and mechanism, substantially as described, for imparting said vibratory and rocking motions to said finger, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

ICO

3. A finger-rod, substantially as described,

supported on the machine, one end of which has a movement against and from a lifted envelope-blank, a fixed horizontal plate above said finger-rod, and mechanism forimparting said motion to the rod, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

4:. A finger-rod having a finger thereon, sub stantially as described, bearings for said rod in which it may rock and with which has a horizontal vibratory motion, a lever and a spring for imparting said vibratory motions thereto, and mechanism, substantially as described, for imparting said rocking motion thereto, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

5. The finger-rod, a rocking post on a fixed part of the machine, bearings for said rod attached to said post, on one of which is a pending arm 39, an elbow-lever fixed on said rod, having an arm 36, with which said arm 39 en gages, a stop-post with which said arm 36 engages, a lever and a spring for. effecting the horizontally-vibrating motions of said finger-rod, and a spring attached to said elbowlever, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

6. The finger-rod, a rocking post on a fixed part of the machine, bearings for said rod attached to said post, on one of which is a pending arm, and mechanism, substantially as described, for imparting a swinging motion to said rod, bearings, and post, and for rocking said finger-rod on its bearings, combined and operatingsubstantially as set forth.

7. In mechanism,substantiallyas described, for operating the pickers in an envelope-machine, the combination, with a pivoted camlever having a connection with the picker"- operating devices, of a cam 011 which an end of said lever rests, having an arm extending beyond its periphery in the plane of its rotation, which has a positive engagement with said lever at a certain point in the rotation of said cam, and having a point on its periphery extending farther from its axis than the lever-engaging part of said arm, substantially as set fortln V S. The combination, with the picker-operating cam-lever of an envelope-machine, of a cam with which said lever engages, having thereon an arm extending beyond and to one side of its periphery and in the plane of its rotation opposite that portion of said periphery nearest the axis of thecam and having a point on said periphery extending farther from its axis than the lever-engaging part of said arm, which arm has a positive engage ment with said lever at acertain point in the rotation .of the cam, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. A gripper for removing envelopes from the drying-chain of an el'ivelope-machine, consisting of two jaws for engagingan envelope, having independent vibratory motions in planes of opposite angles, combined with levers, substantially as described, co-operating with said jaws, a frame supporting said levers and jaws, a vibratory lever of the envelope-machine, to which said gripper is secured, and fixed stops of said machine, with which said levers engage during the vibratory movements of the gripper, substantially as set forth.

10. A gripper for removing envelopes from the drying-chain of an envelope-machine, consisting of two jaws for engaging an envelope, said jaws having vibratory movements in vertical and horizontal planes, combined with a frame supporting said jaws, a lever pivoted on said frame and engaging with said verticall -vibrating jaw, and a lever and a spring hung on said frame and connected with said 55.

horizontal]y-vibrating jaw, substantially as set forth.

11. A gripper for removing envelopes from the drying-chain of an envelope-machine, consisting of two jaws'for engaging an envelope,- 6o

havin inde endent vibratorv motions in o planes of opposite angles, combined with levers, substantially as described, co-operating with said jaws, a frame supporting said levers and jaws, and an envelope guide-plate secured to said frame and extending horizontally at 7;

the sides of saidjaws, substantially as set forth.

13. In an envelope-machine, two envelopegrippers of the class herein described, two levers to which said grippers are attached, a

shaft carrying supports to which said levers are pivotally hung topermit their gripperbearing ends to swing transversely across the drying-chain, a cam acting to rock said shaft and swing said grippers toward and from said chain, and mechanism, substantially as described,forimpartingsaidtransversely-swinging movements to said levers, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

1,}. I11 an envelopeemachine, two envelope-cc grippers of the class herein described, two vibratory levers to which said grippers are attached, a shaft serving as a support for said levers, an upright secured to said shaft, a cam acting on said upright to rock said shaft, vi- 5 brating envelope-pushers following and moving with each envelope seized by said grippers, and mechanism, substantially as described, for imparting vibratory motions to said pnshers, combined and operating sub- ICO stantially as set forth. 7 7

JAMES BALL. \Vil'nesses:

' WM. S. BELLows,

II. A. CHAPIN.

substantially as set 65 

